Crime, punishment and Barak

A tragedy is unfolding before our very eyes: One government institution after another is collapsing, losing its clout and prestige while turning into a travesty that is being ridiculed and sneered at. We have already taken a shot at the president, the Knesset, the government and even at the Supreme Court, followed by the military, the Shin Bet and the Mossad. Now it's the police force's turn.

Sodom and Gomorrah to deter law breakers

The police force may indeed have earned their deteriorating reputation honestly. The media commotion, the passion for fame and the air that quickly filters out of their inflated balloons have all contributed to the damage. People no longer fear the police, and they all do as they see fit.

This week's stabbing that left police officer Shlomi Asulin critically injured is more than just a warning sign: Once, not too long ago, the greatest criminals stopped at the red line of harming a policeman (and light years away, when police officer Yona Komami was murdered, a street was named after her in the city of Ramat Gan).

Today, any Tom Dick and Harry can take a potshot at a policeman - Israeli chutzpah has crossed the limits.

What should be done? Action! Punishment of those attacking officers of the law must be far more severe, so much so that that it would strike at those lifting a hand against a policeman prior to them fulfilling their nefarious intentions – 10 or 20 years of imprisonment , no less. Too much? In Sodom and Gomorrah there is never too much. 

Barak's comeback

Israelis didn't hold their breaths this week when former Prime Minister Ehud Barak announced his return to the political arena. Many view Ehud Barak as "damaged goods."

This wasn't the case the first time around when he achieved a victory yet unknown in Israeli history. A lightening bolt ran through every house in the nation on that particular night. Tens of thousands flocked to the city square to celebrate together. Those who were partners to the joy of that victory will never forget that night.

Neither will they forget the day after, when the time for sobriety quickly came around and when hundreds of thousands realized their disillusionment. The man was not what he was said to be.

The disappointment was so great that it bred a measure of hatred yet unseen in Israeli politics, and this is what prevented him – until this week – from returning to the political arena. The consent for his return at this point in time can also be premised on - but not only – the leadership crisis in Israel. The shelf is void of leaders.

Barak is coming back. He is a highly talented man. How do I know this you may ask? I used to be a very close affiliate. He is a magnificent creation, a fighter and an intellectual, he is smart and able to see and analyze from afar – the dream of every Jewish mother.

Alas, he is no mensch. Now, it is being argued, he has improved himself in the "mensch" arena. If this is the case ladies and gentlemen, he may be the perfect man…